Blood
reserves dwindle as road toll snowballs

THE upsurge in road accidents that have killed 143
people and injured 788 others in the past 12 days has triggered a high
demand for blood across the country, leaving the national reserves
critically depleted.

The National Blood Services of Zimbabwe (NBSZ)
revealed on Thursday that it is only left with less than a week’s supply of
the life-saving fluid in its bank.

But the agency sought to allay
fears of a national crisis saying its workers were on the ground doing
refills.

“At the moment we are sitting on less than a week’s supply of
blood, but it is not something very serious because we are in the process of
re-boosting the blood bank,” said NBSZ public affairs manager, Esther
Masunda.

She attributed the high demand for blood to the increase in
injuries on the roads.

“What normally happens is that major hospitals
collect the more blood from our bank during this time of the year, but due
to the high demand some have also been forced to collect more from
us.

“At the moment we have managed to meet their demand and in fact we
are happy that we have managed to service them well despite the pressure,”
Masunda added.

Harare, which has experienced the highest number of
crashes since December 15, leads all provinces in the demand for blood,
followed by Bulawayo.

“There has been a lot of activity in Bulawayo and
Harare in terms of blood movement from the bank since cities have some of
the largest referral hospitals in the country.

“Under normal
circumstances our blood bank should have 2, 500 units of blood, but
sometimes the demands tends to be higher,” said Masunda.

A total of 147
people were killed during the entire festive season last year - which runs
from December 15 through January 15 - while 1, 304 others were
injured.

Manicaland Province has so far incurred the highest number of
casualties with 28 deaths from 74 accidents. During the same period last
year, only five people died from 53 crashes.

Mashonaland East is
second with 24 deaths from 41 smashes compared to 18 loses last
year.

The single deadliest crash yet occurred near Mutare on Sunday where
a haulage truck crammed with 63 people veered off the road and flipped over,
killing 18 passengers.

On Monday another accident involving a
commuter omnibus killed eight people, six of them family members.

Zimbabwe's
Economy on Recovery Path

HARARE — Zimbabwe's Finance Minister says his country’s economy is
on the path to recovery after decades of decline and will meet all its
financial obligations for this year. .

Cars speed along in Harare,
Zimbabwe’s capital city. The formation of a coalition government in 2009 by
President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has led to the
sound of constant activity in the city.

There is life!

Before, the
city was almost dead as was the country’s economy.

Tendai Biti was
appointed Zimbabwean Finance Minister in 2009 when almost every commodity
was in short supply. Inflation was running wild then, but is now the lowest
in the southern Africa region.

“By the end of the year we would have
reduced our primary balance to zero, in other words our books will balance
and we are not going to carry a deficit in 2013," Biti says when speaking of
2012. "For a finance minister this is pleasing because we are eating what we
are killing. ”

That zero primary balance only applies to domestic debt.
The African country has a $10 billion foreign debt.

In September, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised concerns over the failure by Sudan,
Somalia and Zimbabwe to honor their commitments to pay their financial
debts.

The finance minister says he would ensure the foreign debt remains
in check and he will not commit where the country cannot sustain the
obligation.

“It is bad economics and we do not practice bad economics,”
Biti says.

One of the big economic problems facing the country is the
funding of elections and a constitutional referendum in
2013.

Recently Biti told journalists that funding of the polls was giving
him a headache as 2012 ends.

“2013, the biggest challenge is funding
the elections and the referendum," says Biti. "t is clear that our resources
are not going to be enough. It is quite clear that the international
community has to come in for assistance.”

The Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission wants nearly $200 million for the elections and the
referendum.

African leaders want a new constitution in Zimbabwe to ensure
free and fair elections. On several occasions President Mugabe has
threatened to hold elections under the current constitution.

Lovemore
Madhuku, a professor from the University of Zimbabwe, thinks time is running
out for President Mugabe who turns 89 years old in February. Mr. Mugabe will
be the Zanu PF party presidential candidate running against Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) candidate, Prime Minister Tsvangirai who is 60 years
old.

“If we delay elections four, five months after that [February 2013],
the mentality would be that the president is now 90 years. And those kind of
things would work against him, I see an election coming as soon as possible
more like around end of March," says Madhuku. "If he does not do that means
he has totally failed to have an election according to his own plan and the
MDC would have won there. He might not want that.”

Zimbabwe’s
agricultural-based economy took a nosedive in early 2000 when Mugabe
embarked on a chaotic and violent land reform exercise targeting white
commercial farmers. But now the economy has improved since the creation of
the unity government in 2009 but it still has to figure out a way to pay for
the constitutional referendum and elections planned for 2013.

MDC
Factions Express Desire for Electoral Pact in 2013

As Zimbabwe prepares for elections in 2013,
leaders within both major formations of the Movement for Democratic Change
have expressed at least tentative interest in a pact to help them defeat
ZANU-PF and President Robert Mugabe.

Secretary General of the
MDC-Tsvangirai formation, Finance Minister Tendai Biti, as well as MDC-Ncube
formation member and Education Minister David Coltart, have said recently
that a coalition or electoral pact between the factions is a worthy goal,
though both acknowledge that reaching the goal would not be easy.

The
two MDC formations split in 2005. Repeated attempts to re-unite them have
failed. Would another attempt end any differently this time? Speaking in
London early this month, Biti stated confidently that Mugabe would lose
against a coalition of opponents. He said if the opposition parties had
been united in 2008, Mugabe would already be history.

In 2008’s
presidential poll, Tsvangirai received 47.9% of the vote to Mugabe’s 43.2%
and Simba Makoni’s 8.3%. Because none of the candidates secured more than
50% of the vote, there was a runoff, which Mr. Tsvangirai abandoned citing
violence and intimidation of his supporters by Zanu PF.

If Tsvangirai and
Makoni had joined forces, some analysts have said, their combined votes
would have defeated Mugabe in the first round.

While there is no
guarantee that an electoral pact would succeed in defeating Mugabe next
year, assuming such a pact could even be successfully negotiated, it would
certainly improve the odds.

Coalitions and electoral pacts in Zambia,
Kenya, Lesotho and other African countries have successfully united
opposition groups, at least long enough to defeat incumbent
leaders.

Mr. Coltart, who first publicly revived the issue, tells VOA’s
Blessing Zulu that a pact would not be easy, but agrees it is worth
pursuing.

The leader of the MDC-N himself, Welshman Ncube, agrees
a pact is worth trying, but says he is not optimistic it can
happen.

Meanwhile, reporter Violet Gonda reached out to the
spokesmen of the two MDC formations in government, Nhlanhla Dube (Ncube) and
Douglas Mwonzora (Tsvangirai).

Mr. Dube says an electoral pact is
desirable in theory, but forming one in practice is full of challenges. Mr.
Mwonzora stated that so far, no discussion of a pact has happened
officially, but if MDC supporters want the formations to cooperate in the
coming elections, this is what the formations should do.

Electoral
pact: Ncube the pessimist Vs Coltart the optimist

Following a
report on this site last week that MDC leader Welshman Ncube and Senator
David Coltart were at odds over need for an electoral pact ahead of the 2013
elections, the two have sought to play down their differences, yet doubling
down on their positions.

Some people are calling on Ncube and Morgan
Tsvangirai to bury the hatchet and forge a coalition to boost the MDC’s
prospects of dethroning President Robert Mugabe in the next polls. The
following are brief statements issued by Ncube and Coltart on social media
Thursday.

Coltart wrote:

Welshman Ncube and I are not in fact at
odds on this issue. Both of us agree that in an ideal world we should have a
single united opposition against Zanu PF but we both recognise that that is
well-nigh impossible. In the circumstances we should strive to agree on an
electoral pact so that we do not split the vote as happened in
2008.

We both know this will be very difficult and if there is any
disagreement between us it is in how we rate the chances of obtaining an
electoral pact. He is very pessimistic that this is possible whereas whilst
I am also fairly pessimistic I think it is still possible. My views in this
regard should not be taken as any fundamental disagreement between us or any
loss of faith by me in his leadership.

Ncube responded:

David
Coltart is correct. We all believe that it would be easier to defeat Zanu PF
if we had a united democratic opposition to Zanu PF and that such a
democratic united opposition is desirable and necessary.We differ only
in respect of whether conditions for the creation of such a united
democratic opposition to Zanu PF exists in Zimbabwe today and on whether
given the objective conditions on the ground it is possible to achieve such
a position. I believe that the reunification of the MDC is impossible for
reasons too numerous to detail here.

I also believe that given the things
which divide the two MDC formations and what has gone on between the two
parties since the split, it is equally impossible to construct any coalition
agreement that would receive the support of the respective National Councils
of the two parties.

More importantly, having regard to where the two
parties stand in relation to each other today, any honest assessment will
show that there just is not sufficient appetite for any coalition within the
decision-making bodies of the two parties.

In 2008 the MDC
National Council authorized negotiations for a coalition and later endorsed
the agreed coalition agreement but the MDC-T National Council rejected that
agreement. Today, I doubt if the MDC National Council would even authorize
any negotiations on the matter given the general sentiment in the party. I
believe the same situation prevails in the MDC-T.

We are, however, a
democratic part, those who want to try to construct such a coalition
agreement as might be possible are free to do so. Some of us will continue
to focus on implementing the MDC Congress resolutions which inter alia
require us to focus on the rebuilding and rebranding of our party and
preparations for contesting every electoral seat at the 2013 general
elections.

Thanksgiving
service hails new beginning for Zimbabwe's Anglicans

Anglicans in Harare are looking forward to a new
year in their own church buildings after they were returned to them
following a protracted legal battle.

St Mary and All Saints Cathedral
and other properties had been occupied by Dr Nolbert Kunonga, a former
bishop who was excommunicated from the Anglican Communion in 2007 over his
support for Robert Mugabe.

The properties were finally returned to the
Church of the Province of Central Africa after the Zimbabwean Supreme Court
found in its favour.The court victory was celebrated by a historic
thanksgiving service in Harare attended by a thousand
worshippers.

The Bishop of Harare, the Right Reverend Chad Gandiya said:
“All those five years we were driven from our churches and went into exile,
life was not easy but God was with us. We survived and found grace in
exile.”

He called upon Anglicans to work together in rebuilding the
diocese, saying that many of the churches and schools were in need of
renovation after years of neglect.

“As we journey from the past,
pressing on towards the goal together, there is a lot of work to be done in
the area of rebuilding our diocese,” he said.

The Primate of the
Province, Archbishop Albert Chama, said, “You are going back to your
churches to worship God in dignity as it was intended to be. Be strong as
you are a testimony to the rest of the church.

"Continue and never relent
because wherever we are we say we are learning from the church in
Zimbabwe.”

A message of congratulations was sent to the Diocese of Harare
from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

In it, the
Archbishop praised the way in which they had persevered through the many
difficulties of the last five years.

“You have faced threats of violence
and arrest and yet your faith has not weakened, rather it has grown
stronger,” he said.

“I want to commend particularly the leadership of
Bishop Chad Gandiya and Bishop Sebastian Bakare before him, as they have
embodied authentic Christian servant-hearted leadership. Through all this,
your faith has been a beacon of light to the rest of the Anglican
Communion.”

Zimbabweans
in SA Hope 2013 Elections Will Bring Them Home

Most people in South Africa say 2012 has been full
of challenges. The year was marred by violent strikes in the transport and
mining sectors, while unemployment increased in a nation where an estimated
two million Zimbabweans live in South Africa.

Most of them would
agree that 2012 was a difficult year, but many are optimistic that elections
in Zimbabwe in 2013 will bring stability, so that they may return and settle
permanently back home.

Ugly scenes of violent striking miners and truck
drivers singing and wielding traditional weapons dominated South African
news in 2012. The events of August 16, when police opened fire using live
ammunition and gunned down 35 striking miners, were perhaps the bitterest
reminder that economic conditions for both the employed and the unemployed
are tough.

For many of the estimated two million or more Zimbabweans
living in South Africa, 2012 has been no easier. With the recent census
revealing that six million South Africans are jobless, Zimbabwean Sipho Moyo
says finding work—especially without proper documentation—was especially
challenging.

“Zimbabweans in South Africa are still facing a lot of
challenges, especially on jobs, unemployment in South Africa,” Sipho Moyo
says.

“What we have seen is that in South Africa now those jobs are now
scarce, there are no jobs. People come here with the hope for a better
life, but it turns out the life becomes even more harder when you are here
in South Africa.”

Arthur Ncube, a Zimbabwean artist living in South
Africa, submitted a number of proposals requesting funding for his acting,
music and dance projects, but none of them was accepted.

He is
concerned by what he terms increased ill-treatment of Zimbabweans by the
South African police in 2012.

“We still suffer this word that I can quote
as ‘a foreigner coming from Zimbabwe to come and grab my stuff here’, so,
mostly we were just people who were left out. And there is still lots and
lots of people who have got xenophobic attitudes. So, definitely all things
were closed out for people like us,” says Mr. Ncube.

However,
Butholezwe Nyathi believes the year wasn’t all bad for Zimbabweans living
in South Africa.

He says he saw slight improvement of economic conditions
and the availability of basic commodities back in Zimbabwe brought some
relief to those in the Diaspora who previously had to provide from South
Africa virtually everything their families back home
needed.

According to Mr. Nyathi, the issuance of work, study and business
permits to many Zimbabweans who applied during a special dispensation in
2010, was the greatest relief in 2012.

“We saw people using their
permits that they were given here in South Africa to go in and out of
Zimbabwe, to settle in jobs where they are employed and to access their
income properly through banks and all the stuff and they were able even to
support people in Zimbabwe properly, so I will say it was a better year,”
says Mr. Nyathi.

Regardless of how 2012 was, most Zimbabweans agree that
the national Zimbabwean elections in 2013 are their greatest hope to enjoy
normal lives back home.

Although they still hope South African
authorities will work on creating more jobs and improving the lives of both
locals and foreign nationals, they want elections next year to pave the way
for their return to Zimbabwe.

Arthur Ncube sees the South African economy
slowing and says he would prefer to return to his homeland.

Mr. Ncube
says, “A lot of strikes happening in here have actually crippled the whole
economy and I for one see that it’s more or less following the Zimbabwean
channel. This is what happened way back home. We don’t know. Only the clock
knows the answer.”

Sipho Moyo says she is also eager the elections next
year. “I’m looking forward to change in Zimbabwe, like politically we are
hoping that there will be an election in Zimbabwe that will bring economic
and political stability. In that sense then we will have hope of coming back
home.”

Butholezwe Nyathi is also hopeful that the 2013 elections can
provide those suffering in the Diaspora with a chance to return. “It’s a
year when people must decide on a government that they want.They need to
choose a political party that will gain legitimacy and govern with the
people’s mandate. And govern properly, so that we create pull factors, so
that our people who had left the country may go back to Zimbabwe and settle
in their country. It’s not nice to exist next door.”

The economic
and political future of Zimbabwe and the southern Africa region is unclear,
but one thing is plain: Zimbabweans in South Africa yearn to return home.

MDC
MPs fight over parly seat

HARARE -
Fissures have appeared in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC in
Mashonaland East's Chikomba district as bigwigs compete for political space
ahead of primary elections set for early next year.

The province’s
chairperson Piniel Denga who is also Mbare House of Assembly member wants
to challenge incumbent Chikomba Central Member of Parliament, Moses
Jiri.

In a letter dated December 17, 2012 addressed to party national
organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, a copy of which is in possession of the
Daily News, Jiri complains of being attacked, humiliated and having his
political space invaded by Denga.

Jiri said Denga had abandoned his
Mbare constituency to fight him in Chikomba since his election as provincial
chairperson last year.

“I write to you complaining about serious attacks
and humiliation on my person which I have to endure from the Mashonaland
East provincial chairperson.

“Since 2006, when I defeated him in the
primary election, he keeps fighting me and is not
relenting.“Consequently he has neglected his constituency and became Mash
East chairperson to give more vigour to his fight…,” wrote Jiri.

Jiri
has reportedly lost support of the party’s rank and file both in the
constituency and in the province.

In the letter, Jiri also complains
that Denga used his position as provincial chairperson and close association
with Tsvangirai to force himself into district meetings without
invitation.

“I was surprised to see the provincial chair at one of our
meetings and the district executive queried why he had attended without
their knowledge and the meeting was cancelled.

“He came back for
another meeting with a dubious circular that gave him the mandate to
supervise our programmes which the provincial organising secretary denied
any knowledge of.

“He boasted of having the backing of the president and
accused me of not properly accounting for Constituency Development Fund
(CDF).

“How can a fellow MP audit another MP’s CDF,” part of the letter
reads.

The letter was also copied to the party president ,
secretary-general and national chairperson.

Jiri admitted he authored
the letter but refused to discuss the issues saying it was party business
that could not be discussed with the press.

Contacted for comment, Denga
said there was unity in the province but castigated Jiri for neglecting his
people only to blame him when the same people rejected him.

Denga
said he was invited to the constituency by the people there because they
wanted his leadership and that he had a cordial working relationship dating
back to the 2000 and 2005 elections.

“There are no divisions in the
province and we are as united as ever. Jiri only has himself to blame for
his predicament.

“He orphaned his constituency by not coming back since
he was elected — the people tell me as chairperson and they have demanded an
account of how he used his CDF allocation but he becomes abusive to them,”
said Denga.

“I am a servant of the people and when they ask me to provide
leadership like they are doing in Chikomba Central, I have an obligation to
answer the clarion call to duty.

“I however, will have to first say
goodbye to the people of Mbare whom I also have a good relationship with and
that is in the pipeline,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Chikomba East the
battle is even more intriguing as Tsvangirai’s acting spokesperson William
Bango who narrowly lost to Zanu PF’s Edgar Mbwembwe in 2008 will most likely
battle it out with Zimbabwe Economic Society president Lovemore Kadenge who
is reportedly eyeing the same constituency.

Although he has not
officially declared his interests in the constituency, Kadenge spent the
whole Christmas holiday with the party structures at Warikandwa, Matove and
Maware, dishing out Christmas presents.

Bango was non committal about his
continued interest in the constituency saying he would make a decision when
the time comes.

“We will see the colour of the sky when the clouds
clear,” was all he said. - Mugove Tafirenyika

Kunonga
priests go two months without pay

PRIESTS of the Archbishop Nolbert
Kunonga-led Anglican Church of the Province of Zimbabwe have gone for two
months without pay.

The ACPZ recently lost a Supreme Court case which
forced it to cede all church property to the Chad Gandiya-led Anglican
Church of the Province of Central Africa Harare Diocese. Some of the priests
yesterday told The Herald that they last received their October salaries in
November.

Church authorities however dismissed the allegations saying the
priests are owed a month’s salaries. ACPZ spokesperson Reverend Admire
Chisango said: “I have checked with our accounts people, their paymaster, we
only owe them one month wages.”

“It is normal in every institution
that people might not get their wages on the day when they are due (and) it
is not peculiar to us alone.” He accused a group that split from the ACPZ of
peddling falsehoods.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the priests said
they had since started looking for alternative employment. Others have
defected to the newly formed Anglican Reformed Church of Zimbabwe-led by Dr
David Kunyongana, formerly of ACPZ.

Dr Kunyongana announced recently
that he was splitting from ACPZ to form the ARCZ. He took with him a number
of priests, including Reverend Simeon Makove, who used to be head of
security for ACPZ.

Rev Makove was also security adviser to Archbishop
Kunonga owing to his military background. The priests said Archbishop
Kunonga convened a meeting at his Mount Hampden farm early this
month.

“He told us that we are free to look for alternative employment
because we are going through hard times. The Archbishop also said he would
assist those with residential stands with building materials such as cement.
Our worry is that we have not been getting our wages pegged at US$150 per
month.”

Archbishop Kunonga has since announced that he will continue with
God’s work using alternative premises after CPCA won the right to control
church properties. ACPZ has over 30 stipendiary priests while it has also
enlisted the services of more than 70 non-stipendiary
priests.

Stipendiary priests are on monthly wage while non-stipendiary
priests do voluntary spiritual work and are employed elsewhere.

Some
of these non-stipendiary priests have been using their colleges as
worshipping places. The source said some non-stipendiary priests have since
secured alternative premises to worship. One of the priests running several
colleges in Chitungwiza uses one of the learning institutions as a place of
worship.

“Since the court judgement, there has been uncertainty, one
parishioner repossessed his vehicle that he had donated to a priest after
the court ruling,” he said.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that
Archbishop Kunonga had no right to continue holding on to church property
after withdrawing from the ACPCA. He however launched another court battle
at the High Court which he lost but has now approached the Supreme Court on
appeal. The superior court is still to rule.

Zanu PF
primary elections set for February

Zanu PF will conduct primary elections in February next
year to select candidates to represent it in harmonised polls scheduled for
next year after completing drafting rules and regulations to govern the
conduct of the exercise.

There is intense speculation that new
rule changes will see Zanu PF politburo member Jonathan Moyo being barred
from standing using a requirement that only members who have served the
party for five consecutive years are eligible. Zanu PF secretary for
administration Didymus Mutasa said:

“We are considering holding
primary elections in February. However, we cannot disclose the criteria that
we are going to use now. Everything will be made public in February,” he
said.

Last month Moyo dismissed reports he would be excluded saying
“These good for nothing fools should know that what is important about rules
is not their dogma but how they bend,” Moyo said.

“The fact is that
all rules have exceptions in order to avoid breaking because a rule or ruler
that does not bend breaks!”

“As a member of the party’s leadership, I
fully and unequivocally support the rule in question because it is right for
the party and in fact has always been there sometimes in spirit and other
times in letter. Now the idea is to have it both in letter and spirit,” he
explained.

Analysts say the new rules are designed to protect the Zanu PF
old guard against ambitious ‘young turks’ who are challenging them.
Commenting on the rule changes and other candidates campaigning in advance
Mutasa said:

“As an organisation there are so many people who want to be
considered as MPs and be leaders. They should know that by the end the day
the party is led by a few people and not the whole gamut of
people.

“In a constituency they should know that there will be only one
MP. By the end of the day the losers should accept defeat and be ready to be
led by the winners,” he said. Mutasa said Zanu PF was working hard to deal
with factionalism ahead of the elections next year.

“The people
leading the so called factions are people who do not accept that there are
three people who are leading the party and these are President Mugabe, Vice
Presidents Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo.

These are leaders of Zanu PF now.
The people should observe the rules of the party and those leading the
factions are wrong. My advice to them is they should observe the rules,” he
said. President Mugabe has also spoken out strongly against factionalism
arguing that it was destroying the party.

Police
Detain Manicaland Villagers For Tilling Macdom Land

Police on Thursday detained 40 villagers from
Chinyamukwakwa in Chisumbanje, Manicaland, for almost four hours at
Chisumbanje police station on allegations that they tilled land that belongs
to Macdom Investments and the Green Fuel Ethanol Company.

Claris
Madhuku, a member of the Joint Ethanol Plant Implementation Committee set up
to promote co-existence between the company and the villagers, said the
police used Green Fuel Ethanol Company vehicles to transport the villagers,
who were later released without charge.

Madhuku, who also heads the
Platform for Youth Development Trust, tells VOA that the villagers should
not have been arrested, as they have the right to work in the
fields.

He said that was the directive from the inter-ministerial
committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara which was set up
by Cabinet to look into community and social issues threatening the ethanol
project.

Makoni
says he is "World Class Leader"

FORMER Finance Minister and leader of the Mavambo
Kusile Dawn paty Dr Simbarashe Makoni a candidate in the March 2008
presidential election has described himself a "A World Class Leader" in a
YouTube video interview.The euphoria of the much talked about 2013
presidential elections that has gripped the entire nation, particulary those
jostling to have a big say in the Presidential race. Elesewhere The Zimbabwe
Mail has an article about South African-based Zimbabwean businessman and
academic, Mutumwa Mawere, raising throwing the gauntlet over his
Presidential campaign bid as leader of the newly formed United Movement for
Democracy Party (UMDP)

Meanwhile, Dr Makoni has blast government over a
project supposed to have been spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur
Mutambara as the leader of the tasked Inter-Ministerial Committee.The
US$600 million Chisumbanje Ethanol Project became a smoldering edifice and
the DPM descended into silence after this project taken over by government
two months ago proved disastrous.From a promising venture, the project has
suddenly become a hardly-discussed ghost venture as its life and promise
have died natural deaths. With hundreds of displaced families and lots of
injected capital, Makoni is fuming over the lack of proper leadership
initiative to get the project up and running so that it benefits the local
folks and the economy at large.Makoni who became Zimbabwe’s Minister of
Industry and Energy Development at Independence has revealed that there is a
cloud of falsehood around the failed project that has caused a sweeping mass
destruction of villagers’ homes and various other private properties. To add
to that compensation issues over the displaced families remains up in the
air as they have been left to figure out their own mess.The project
spearheaded by ZANU PF-aligned businessman Billy Rautenbach would have
influenced 5% mandatory blending of all petrol countrywide, but Mutambara’s
promises have proved futile.Since the beginning of the year the current
Minister of Energy, Elton Mangoma has refused to force parliament to pass
special legislation to impose mandatory blending for the company to survive.
He has argued that the company received excessive government support and yet
failed to do proper marketing to customers to opt for the ethanol blended
petrol.It also became clear Billy Rautenbach failed to accomplish standard
tasks such as media advertising opting for more strenuous and burdensome
marketing methods involving stationing crowds of employees at petrol
stations across the country for advertising purposes.The project was a
flop. It was only after Mutambara stepped forward claiming he could
resurrect the company that government agreed to pass legislation for
mandatory petrol blending.Too many secret with Zimbabwe's Green
Fuel....Simba MakoniNine months after its closure, the Inter-Ministerial
Committee under Mutambara has however failed to resolve the constraints
facing the plant. Such a situation has seen more than 4000 workers languish
in abject poverty.It is a secret projectBut MKD President Makoni has
said there is very little known about the project to date as he raised
concern that it was a rushed commercial venture without any peoper
planning.Informing said the people are not being told the truth about it,
Makoni vented out saying the project has remained a mystery to date. He told
ZimEye in an exclusive interview:“There is very little known about this
project. It has been kept close to the chest of a very few people. I also
don’t think that your characterisation of this is a government
project.“The big problem is that the people are not being told the true
issues about this project. When I was a minister of energy at independence,
we inherited from the Rhodesians the fuel blend which had 15% ethanol and
85% petrol.“And we continued to use that blend. It was not unsuccessful
until the price of oil and refined products on the stock markets fell; and
the price of ethanol on the international market…it became more beneficial
for the country to earn foreign currency from exporting ethanol and conserve
foreign currency by importing petrol at a lower price.“That’ s how the
ethanol based at Triangle was moved. It wasn’t because it didn’t work. It
was used in Rhodesia.“But we formally and officially commissioned that
ethanol plant in Triangle in 1981 when I was the energy minister. And we
continued to use it well into the 80s until the international price of oil
plunged and it became cheaper to import full petrol and use it wholesale on
our engines,” said Makoni.Rautenbach had claimed the country would save
US$120 million per month on fuel imports, but this has not materialised as
the uptake of ethanol blend was limited owing to lack of proper legislation
to support the project.

Zimbabwean
Journalists Want Early Voting Privileges

With national elections looming next year, the
Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) says the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(ZEC) should allow journalists to vote early - that is, before polling day-
as diplomats and state security personnel already do.

ZUJ Secretary
General, Foster Dongozi, tells VOA that journalists, like all citizens, want
to participate in democratic processes, including elections.

He says if
journalists are not allowed to vote early, many will be disenfranchised, as
many will be working outside their constituencies on election
day.

Dongozi said JUZ discussions with ZEC so far indicate that the
commission is willing to listen to their concerns.

However, Dongozi
says, early voting is not the only issue for journalists. Another issue
includes accreditation.

According to the country’s electoral laws, only
journalists accredited by the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) must also be
accredited with ZEC in order to cover elections. Dongozi says ZUJ believes
this is not necessary.

He said foreign journalists are discouraged from
coming to cover elections in Zimbabwe as they are required to get ZMC
accreditation before being accredited by the electoral commission, but says
they cannot get accredited by ZEC if they do not have ZMC
accreditation.

ZUJ says it has approximately 1,000 members. ZMC says it
accredited more than 500 journalists in 2011.

Several
water bottling firms banned

Felex Share Herald ReporterGOVERNMENT has banned several
water bottling companies for failing to meet basic hygienic requirements.
Fifteen out of 49 companies that had applied for licences were registered.
Ministry of

Health and Child Welfare food control deputy director Mr
Freddy Chinyavanhu yesterday said only 21 water brands from 15 companies
supplying bottled water had been certified by the Food Standards Advisory
Board.

FSAB is the regulatory board that makes random checks on the
quality and safety of water for domestic and commercial use.The board
also regulates foodstuffs sold in Zimbabwean shops.

Mr Chinyavanhu said the 21 water
brands were certified based on “satisfactory chemical and microbiological
test results.”

“The companies’ bottling factories should also meet
minimum hygienic requirements,” he said.“Some companies think that if
they have been certified by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe they are
through with the certification process.

“SAZ is not the regulatory
authority and they just authorise the companies to use their mark.“You
find out that the water might still be contaminated despite the SAZ
certification.”

He urged retailers to ensure that their bottled water
has a certification letter from Government.Bottlers are required to keep
own continuous water quality check records up to two
years.

Government last year banned 40 water-bottling firms for failing to
meet safety and quality standards.This followed an influx of unregulated
bottled water suppliers in response to a surge in demand.

Some of the
companies have premises that do not meet the required minimum basic hygienic
requirements, while others are not bottling their water at the source as
required.Some were violating the factory by-laws requirements of municipal
authorities.

Investigations have attributed the proliferation of
suppliers to the alleged poor quality of tap water and rising health
consciousness by the public.

Although most suppliers indicate the mineral
elements content on the label, the quality of water is not just about
mineral elements, but also microbiological safety, among other quality
requirements.

Zimbabwe
ill-prepared for rainfall extremes, farmers say

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe (AlertNet) - Thumeliso
Matshobana knows what the devastation of too much water looks like.

A
smallholder farmer in Zimbabwe’s Midlands, he watched helplessly last year
as floods destroyed crops, livestock, homes and schools. The heavy rains, he
says, came as “a total surprise.”

The floods left a trail of
destruction in traditionally dry and impoverished rural areas of the
Midlands and Matebeleland, and rebuilding has been a slow and painful
process.

“We want rain but not the kind that kills us and destroys our
livelihoods. But no one ever seems to know exactly the kind of rains we will
have,” Matshobana lamented.

That “makes it hard for us villagers to
make necessary preparations,” he said, expressing what has become a common
sentiment about unpredictable rain patterns that seem to vex even the
country’s meteorological services department.

The Met office, as it
is known in Zimbabwe, issued a flood advisory in late November, predicting
heavy downpours. But because the Met office has been off the mark many times
in the past with its weather predictions, which are now questioned by
farmers and disaster preparedness organizations, farmers such as Matshobana
find themselves with little idea what to expect or what to do to prepare for
floods.

“This is the
reason why you see that each year flood warnings only come as the phenomenon
is already on its way, making it extremely difficult to prevent any losses
to life or livestock,” Hadebe said.

Zimbabwe “still lacks sophisticated
weather tracking systems. That is why many people have lost faith in the Met
department,” he said.

LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS

Last year, Zimbabwe’s
government, in conjunction with the Climate and Development Knowledge
Network (CDKN), began researching potential climate change policy responses
in Zimbabwe as a result of growing agricultural and economic losses from
unpredictable weather. The results are expected to be released
soon.

Farmer unions however say they have continued to lose crops to
sudden floods that they have not been warned about.

“It has been
extremely difficult in the past few years, especially to know the kind of
rains to expect. Floods come to us as a total surprise when we had earlier
been advised of poor rainfall ahead,” said Thokozani Jama, of the Zimbabwe
Commercial Farmers Union.

“This has meant that farmers simply follow
their own traditional planting patterns even if rainfall is far off. When
you plant and the next few weeks there are floods, it means your crop fails
despite the plentiful water. Last year, the heavy rains came at a time when
many of us were expecting that they we should be harvesting but our crop had
already been destroyed by the absence of rain,” Jama said.

Experts
say climate shifts have been especially troublesome for some African
countries such as Zimbabwe where political commitment to climate change
research has lagged despite evidence that the countries will be among the
most affected by the changes.

Tapuwa Gomo a development expert who
has worked along the Zambezi River on international flood relief efforts,
says early warning systems could be one way to save lives and property as
rainfall becomes more unpredictable.

But “the best form of preparedness
is raising awareness among those in the flood-prone areas to take the
necessary measures before the floods,” he said.

Floods along the
Zambezi Valley have become an annual source of human and livestock losses,
raising concerns about whether enough is being done to minimise the impact
of climatic shifts, he said.

“In my experience working with people along
Zambezi River in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, the question of
what needs to be done to help them is a difficult one. The biggest challenge
in these areas is that people’s livelihoods are knit around the Zambezi
River with activities such as fishing and winter season cropping,” Gomo
said.

Similarly, for farmers like Matshobana who live in Zimbabwe’s low
rainfall areas, there seems little answer to the problem of getting too
little or too much rain, particularly outside the normal rainy
season.

A
season's greetings, and a gloomy forecast

THE year 2012 is coming to an end, and 2013 is
drawing near. All indications are that life will not be any better in 2013,
for the largest majority of Zimbabweans.

The country faces severe
food shortages, which have become chronic. As in previous years, belatedly
and grudgingly, the Inclusive Government acknowledged the looming food
crisis, and made a feeble appeal for international assistance; without
announcing their own plans to save lives.

Furthermore, there are no plans
to revive agricultural production in the current season, nor in future.
Manufacturing remains depressed, with more operations either scaling down,
or ceasing altogether. As with agriculture, there are no plans to arrest the
hemorrhage, let alone restore growth.

The mining and tourism sectors
showed some positive energy. However, within mining, there are sub-sectors
which are bleeding. Formal employment continued to shrink, and almost every
open space in the urban areas, has been turned into a market. Even entrances
into formal business premises are markets for vegetables, trinkets and other
wares.

The country has become one big supermarket for products from other
countries. Infrastructure continues to deteriorate. There is no light at the
end of the power supply tunnel. Potholes remain the dominant feature of both
local and national roads. To see a moving train is now a rarity, and the
national flag on tails of airplanes remains firmly anchored on the
tarmac.

Services in education and health are a pale shadow of what earned
the country accolades in yesteryears. In spite of statistics showing
reductions in new HIV infections, HIV/AIDS remains a pandemic. People living
with HIV/AIDS, people with physical and mental disabilities, old people and
orphans, are leading precarious lives, on the fringes of society. What
assistance they are getting, is mainly from Non-Governmental Organisations
and international development agencies.

Local authorities are failing
to provide potable water. In many localities, people are using water
contaminated with sewage effluent, exposing them to diseases which had long
been eradicated from this country. Corruption is now endemic in all spheres
of life. Throughout the year, leaders of the Inclusive Government made
half-hearted statements condemning corruption. But they unveiled no plans,
nor took any actions to deter it.

The Inclusive Government has failed to
institute any meaningful political reforms. Intolerance, intimidation and
victimisation remain hallmarks of our politics, mostly promoted by leaders.
Genuine national healing, reconciliation and forgiveness have not been
initiated. The public media remain the official mouth pieces of one
political party, and leaders of national security services continue to
perform duties in favour of the one political party.

The constitution
making process is deeply mired in political contests, and each stage it
reaches is turned into a battle ground for political dominance. Even in
sport, there was no cheer; the only exception being the budding tennis ace …
who won the Zim Open and the golfer …; and the recent victory of the Mighty
Warriors over the Lady Zebras. We say to them
MAKOROKOTO/AMHLOPE/CONGRATULATIONS.

We also mourn the untimely and
painful death of hero Adam Ndlovu, and wish Peter speedy and full
recovery.

Throughout 2012, we persevered in our endeavours to work with
those in the Inclusive Government, and others in business, the professions
and civil society; in search of solutions to the myriad of problems
afflicting people in their daily lives. We continue our efforts to build
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (M.K.D) into the party of service to the
people.

We share the concerns of many members, supporters and
sympathisers, over the slow pace at which the party building is progressing;
our low visibility and audibility. Constantly, we are asked: `Where are you,
- we don’t see you, we don’t hear you’? Whilst acknowledging that the
environment we are operating in is hard and harsh, we are spurred on by our
commitment to `Get Zimbabwe Working Again’ and are fired up by our
conviction that our values and principles are needed to re-build our Great
Zimbabwe.

We understand that after two decades of brutalisation and
impoverishment, the people are cowered and tired. But, we take comfort and
courage in the knowledge that ending our suffering is our collective
responsibility. I am inspired by the good will and encouragement I receive
from many Zimbabweans, as well as many friends of Zimbabwe.

In
return, I pledge our resolve to maintain our course, towards a society
genuinely free of fear, a people genuinely empowered for self-determination
and self-reliance, and a nation in harmony within itself, and with regional
neighbours and global partners.

It is highly likely that the country
will hold general elections in the latter part of 2013. In this regard, we
join others inside and outside the country, in urging the Inclusive
Government, parties to the Global Political Agreement and SADC; to ensure
that conditions are created, for free and fair elections. To the leaders and
activists of M.K.D, it is our responsibility to prepare the party for
victory in these elections.

I wish all Zimbabweans, Christian and
non-Christian alike, inside and outside the country, happiness at Christmas
and better fortunes in 2013.

Simba Makoni is leader of the
Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party. He contested the 2008 presidential election and
got 8.3 percent share of the vote

Grand Opposition Coalition of Zimbabwe: Necessary and Possible

Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, 28th December 2012.

Contrary to pessimism in some
quarters, a Grand Opposition Coalition of Zimbabwe is necessary and a big
possibility for ending the Mugabe dictatorship once and for all.Recently
(9 December 2012) this analyst suggested that if a Grand Opposition
Coalition of Zimbabwe (whatever it will be called) led by Morgan Tsvangirai
of MDC-T were formed, Robert Mugabe would be finished politically well
before the country goes to the polls.It is gratifying to note the
encouraging ongoing debate on that issue. Probably, at the outset, we need
to explain why an electoral coalition of opposition parties is necessary,
how it could work, its challenges and the possible benefits to the
country.Why a grand electoral coalition?Because of the enormity of the
task of peacefully removing tyranny from our midst, after the
disenfranchisement of the Diaspora, a coalition of opposition forces is
necessary in Zimbabwe. Even Mugabe knows that such a coalition is necessary
given that his grip on power appears invincible.Thanks to a labyrinth of
oppressive and despotic laws, militarised state structures, a partisan
police force and a judiciary that stands accused of subverting justice –
Mugabe is been able to take his so-called annual 3-week holiday in Singapore
without any fear of a military coup in his absence.How can such a coalition
work?An opposition coalition against Mugabe can work in the same way a
coalition of nationalist forces fought the liberation struggle against Ian
Smith’s racist regime through the encouragement of among others, leaders of
the Frontline States – Ndugu Mwalimu Nyerere of Tanzania, Camarada President
Samora Machel of Mozambique and Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.While there was
no military victory or defeat, the existence of the pre-independence
coalition helped psychologically to tilt the tables against the colonial
racist regime in the constitutional talks which preceded the 1980
elections.ChallengesPetty personal jealousies of some of the leaders of
parties opposed to Mugabe, using excuses of name calling and fears of
alienating supporters have already surfaced.But it’s their supporters
(e.g. on twitter and internet forums) who are calling for a coalition or a
loose alliance under Tsvangirai to unseat Mugabe, knowing very well that
fielding multiple presidential candidates will only benefit the tyrant with
a second GNU.Similarly, Mugabe will not make it easy for such a potentially
powerful ‘tsunami’ to sweep him from power without a fight. It is common
knowledge that he has abused state assets and CIOs to great effect through
bribery e.g. using seized white farms as bait. The elusive proceeds from
Chiadzwa diamonds could be financing a parallel regime. CIO is on record of
infiltrating parties and using outright violence against the opposition
especially ahead of elections. But, that has been tried by other dictators
before.Lessons from abroadThere is a Shona saying that “Kuziva
kugara nhaka, huona dzevamwe” roughly meaning that we should learn from
other people’s experiences if we want to be effective leaders.Only when
opposition forces formed a coalition or an alliance have they been effective
in bringing about change as seen from the Arab revolutions especially
experiences of Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and now Syria.Even Russia which is
sympathetic to Assad of Syria has reportedly proposed talks with the main
Syrian opposition coalition, despite previous Russian criticism of Western
countries’ recognition of the group.Benefits of an electoral
coalitionZimbabwe will benefit from a democratic change, reconciliation and
national healing if Mugabe were to be removed from power ideally through
free and fair elections. It would be easier to amend the constitution or
write a new one, also it would easier to organise a peaceful, free and fair
referendum and elections. Once a stable government is in place, Zimbabwe
would be able to attract foreign investment and people would be able to get
employment. The Diaspora would also return with investments of property,
money, skills and enthusiasm to develop their country.Such prospects
exist as long as opposition parties buried their petty differences and
agreed on a loose alliance just to get rid of the Mugabe dictatorship from
Zimbabwean soil, once and for all.ConclusionDespite the initial
posturing by some leaders, there is increasingly hope of a Great Opposition
Coalition of Zimbabwe under the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC-T.
That is what the people want. That is what commonsense would also
suggest.The assurance needed by the present-day Zimbabwe opposition party
leaders is that the envisaged grand coalition will not necessarily mean
their parties will be swallowed by the MDC-T nor would they all stop being
presidents of their parties. No, not at all.Looking at the
pre-independence example that we have discussed, we see that the coalition
parties of Zanu, Zapu, UANC, ZUPO (Chief Chirau’s outfit) retained their
leaders. Accordingly, by accepting to form an election alliance led by
MDC-T’s Morgan Tsvangirai does not mean Tsvangirai will take over MDC Ncube
or MKD. It is just a strategy for getting rid of tyrants, a peaceful
revolution, at least for now.Ladies and gentlemen, let us get serious and
start behaving like responsible citizens who put their country before
themselves. Remember, the world is watching.Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, is
a former diplomat, doctoral candidate and a political analyst, London, zimanalaysis2009@gmail.com